Store guidelines you should know before publishing

Apple and Google review every app against strict guidelines. These tips improve your chances of approval. They don’t replace the official rules, which we strongly recommend reading in full:

• Apple App Store Review Guidelines
• Google Play Developer Policy

1. Safety

People need to feel safe installing your app: no offensive content, nothing that could harm their device or them. Make sure your support URL gives an easy way to contact you. Missing or outdated contact details frustrate users and can break the law in some countries.

2. Performance

Submit a finished app. Remove placeholder text, empty pages and temporary content, and test the app on a real device. If your app requires login, create a demo account so the reviewers can test it.

3. Business

If your app is for your business, enroll in Apple’s program as a Company / Organization. Business apps submitted from individual accounts are very likely to be rejected.

4. Design

Users value apps that are simple, refined and easy to navigate. Keep your app well organized, and keep it fresh after launch: apps that offer a degraded experience can be removed from the stores.

5. Legal

Only use content you created or have a license to use. Apps that use copyrighted content without permission can be rejected or removed.

Feature tips

Home page. Apple doesn’t allow apps that force people to log in before seeing any content. Require login only for account-specific features, such as checkout or chat.

Web views. Use no more than two or three web view screens. More than that and Apple may decide your app isn’t meaningfully different from using Safari. If you link to a donations page, set the web view to open in the device’s default external browser.

Chat. Add at least one post before you submit, so reviewers can see what the feature is for.

Publishing information tips

Store description. Focus on three questions:

1. Who is the app for?
2. What is its main purpose?
3. Which features help it achieve that purpose?

Avoid “about us” text. Apple and Google don’t allow apps whose main purpose is to advertise a company, so a description that only talks about your business may be rejected.

Support URL. This must be a working website address, not an email address. It’s shown on the store and should include your contact details.